My horse dosen't even know what lunging is and I don't know how to teach her. Her old owner said she is terrified of whips so I can't use that and I tried " kissing" to her but that dosent work either. I want to lunge to show her it's okay to run in the saddle cause she gets really spooky if you run her in the saddle. I want to do this because I want to barrel race her she has what it takes and I know she'll love it. Because she loves to run and make very sharp turns.
Answers:
Get a trainer! The best other way is to spend hours with her, caring for her and riding her. That way she will start to trust you 100%
Good luck!
Check out this website:
It should help you immensely. Look under ground training. There are several articles on lunging.
http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse-traini.
Start off holding the lunge line short and pop her on the butt with the tailing end of the rope. She will start to move. She has to go in a circle and as she does, let more rope out. It just takes practice. I'm sure there are some cowboys nearby that would be glad to show you. Good luck.
The other responders gave you some helpful tips for lunging your horse. It sounds like it would be best to have a trainer do some initial work with her then you can do the follow up. as far as the whip goes you need to desensitize your horse to it. With the horse on the lead rope gently rub her shoulders with the whip when she relaxes reward her with some rubs and kind words then move along her back. Do this until you have completely gone around the horse. Then redo it again. This will help to make the horse relax around the whip. Good luck in your training.
hope it works,my friend taught me how to do it in germany with youngsters and it was really effective - most importantly she's got to trust you and you she has to get used to the whip,so she knows that it's not going to hurt her, because it's very difficult to get them to stay out on the circle without one. so first spend time getting her used to it, put all the lunging gear on her and stand bedside her patting her and talking to her and hold the whip upright beside you and then really slowly and carefully run it from her withers over her back and off over her tail, do that a lot until she gets used to it and then when she does you can start lunging but start at a walk and just hold the whip by your side, don't flick it or anything.use you voice lots because that's usually what they respond to best,and body language, like if she is not staying at the end of the lunge line and falling in on the circle step out towards her. monty robert's book are good for techniques on lunging nervy horses. if it doesnt work, you could free run her in the arena or a small field with the saddle on. oh yeah and when you start off lunging, don't use a saddle if she isn't used to one!
Believe it or not and as crazy at its sounds, I have used a plastic bag to lunge horses. I have a close friend that is one of the best trainers I have ever seen. He can bring the craziest of horses around to melted butter. He taught me that with high strung horses the sound of a plastic bag is just as powerful as the whip. In the end you let the horse befriend the bag by rubbing it down its body, and that does take time.
First off, do you have a lunging pen? A small, round, dirt enlosure that you can lunge her in? It is better to start in a round pen if at all possible. The idea is to get her thinking circles.
I wish I was there and could help you lunge her without even a rope. But if you try what the others have suggested you get the idea and go from there. If you want to e-mail me, you can. I am always open to help. Further, I must stress that lunging is one of the most important forms of ground work you can do with your horse. So, please take this process slowly and step by step.
I have worked with horses that come in on their riders and rear up. We don't want you to face that fear or have your horse start that nasty habit.
My e-mail address is escapingmars@yahoo.com.
Good Luck and Take Care
First, TRY the whip by bringing it out "quietly' around her and see if she is really afraid of them. Some people mean 'crops' not lunge whips.
If she IS afraid, you need to use a rope or the end of your lunge line. Coil it up and sort of throw it towards her.
A horse who is not trianed to lunge needs something to force her forwards.
This horse sounds like it needs to be restarted from the ground up. Can you walk, trot and canter in the saddle? There isn't much of a 'leap' from cantering to galloping, so I dont understand where she gets scared. YOu need to really work on building trust and creating a foundation. Work on the ground, on walking her over tarps and carrying a bag of scary cans, and waving a flag and swinging ropes. She needs to be desensitized.
I have taught babies to lunge by starting them out with ground driving using two lunge lines and walking behind them. Then bring the outside line around their hind end. Once you have them moving forward they tend to get the idea.
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